Boxwood 'Green Mountain'
by
MaryAnn Fink
Conservation Specialist
copyright 2010
Thank Goodness 'Green Mountain' Boxwood is an evergreen shrub that can tolerate St. Louis’s weather extremes, at least fairly well!
This boxwood is hardier that many boxwoods currently available. He seems to suffer less from winter burn, stem dieback and insect and disease issues. He also has an even growth habit that helps him recover quickly even if he does suffer some tip burn.
Finally we have a boxwood that seems able to avoid having that stagnant, shrinking, straggly misshaped form that so many older cultivars have eventually develop in the St. Louis area from year after year of heavy pruning management.
Too many boxwoods eventually succumb to VID (Visual Iimpact Decline). This is a condition that develops from the inability for most boxwoods to grow fast enough or evenly enough to compensate from the almost annual removal of winter burned branches and the various degrees of clean up pruning needed for insect infestation control.
To his credit, Bowood ‘Green Mountain’ shows some resistance to these “ills” and issues. His dense branching and slow but even new growth in all directions makes confident clean up pruning possible since the end result is a ‘still attractive” evergreen foundation choice for most if not all year!
His youthful growth rate is comparable to his mature growth rate, fairly slow. This is a benefit once he is installed, but a testimony to the patience of nursery growers.
At time of purchase look for him to already be in a well rounded globe shape. This gives him a pleasant yet classic profile, perfect for holiday lighting ( still with at least a few shoots available for greenery trimming) His well defined ball shape also makes him an easy starter plant for teaching beginning landscapers to “visualize” the base shape and to use it a guide for pruning.
He is also less commonly available in a delightful pyramidal form. Both styles compliment a manicured landscape, however take note he is also able to adapt to a more selective pruning style that eventually reveals his naturally handsome personality! I like to see boxwoods “grown out”. Over time they can become one of the most graceful strikingly handsome shrubs in the landscape.
He grows best in a sunny to partially shaded area protected from wind with evenly moist, well-drained soil. Although his growth habit is slow, it is steady. He shows natural vigor in both upward and spreading directions so with minimal pruning, he has the potential to reach a significant size of 5-7' tall and wide!
Thank Goodness 'Green Mountain' Boxwood is an evergreen shrub that can tolerate St. Louis’s weather extremes, at least fairly well!
This boxwood is hardier that many boxwoods currently available. He seems to suffer less from winter burn, stem dieback and insect and disease issues. He also has an even growth habit that helps him recover quickly even if he does suffer some tip burn.
Finally we have a boxwood that seems able to avoid having that stagnant, shrinking, straggly misshaped form that so many older cultivars have eventually develop in the St. Louis area from year after year of heavy pruning management.
Too many boxwoods eventually succumb to VID (Visual Iimpact Decline). This is a condition that develops from the inability for most boxwoods to grow fast enough or evenly enough to compensate from the almost annual removal of winter burned branches and the various degrees of clean up pruning needed for insect infestation control.
To his credit, Bowood ‘Green Mountain’ shows some resistance to these “ills” and issues. His dense branching and slow but even new growth in all directions makes confident clean up pruning possible since the end result is a ‘still attractive” evergreen foundation choice for most if not all year!
His youthful growth rate is comparable to his mature growth rate, fairly slow. This is a benefit once he is installed, but a testimony to the patience of nursery growers.
At time of purchase look for him to already be in a well rounded globe shape. This gives him a pleasant yet classic profile, perfect for holiday lighting ( still with at least a few shoots available for greenery trimming) His well defined ball shape also makes him an easy starter plant for teaching beginning landscapers to “visualize” the base shape and to use it a guide for pruning.
He is also less commonly available in a delightful pyramidal form. Both styles compliment a manicured landscape, however take note he is also able to adapt to a more selective pruning style that eventually reveals his naturally handsome personality! I like to see boxwoods “grown out”. Over time they can become one of the most graceful strikingly handsome shrubs in the landscape.
He grows best in a sunny to partially shaded area protected from wind with evenly moist, well-drained soil. Although his growth habit is slow, it is steady. He shows natural vigor in both upward and spreading directions so with minimal pruning, he has the potential to reach a significant size of 5-7' tall and wide!
Care Factor Rating: 3 This is a naturally compact boxwood that must be watered regularly till established. He does not require heavy pruning and performs his best went given optimal space and conditions. If allowed to grow out pruning care drops to very minimal and his primary need becomes consistant but not heavy, year round watering. He can be very drought tolerant but is not as likely to look his best. He is also somewhat deer resistant, non-invasive and a good protection option from weather and predators for small song birds. A native option with a slightly simular look is inkberry- a personal favorite!
He needs only a gentle hand for clipping to look his best. Although he is generally tolerant of pruning and shearing, it should never be done before the last spring frost date.
Hard pruning late in the summer / fall stimulates growth which is particularly susceptible to winter damage. Pruning too early in the spring also stimulates growth that may be severely damaged or killed by a late spring frost. Wait till spring frosts are no longer a danger and new growth is evident and just do a two step trimming.
The first trim, keep it gentle, trimming only to clean up winter damage and a light shaping. The second trimming can be a slightly harder prune if maintaining a certain size is the goal. Do this second shaping pruning before summer heat- probably best last week of May or first week of June.
The typically performed late summer/ fall trim becomes risky if it is more than a light tipping. Several light trimmings through the season is best. Late season hard pruning sometimes stimulates growth that is easily damaged by weather extremes!
Also be aware that boxwoods naturally have shallow roots that can dry out ANY TIME OF THE YEAR! Water regularly all year and plan to cultivate only lightly near the shrub base . Keep a light layer of bark / compost mulch ( but no more than 1-2”) year round.
Remove dead/damaged branches can be removed any time during the growing season.
Winter winds can remove moisture from leaves at a rapid rate, often resulting in dehydration. Leaf damage is evident by a range of burned appearances. This can range anywhere from a darkening or “bronzing” to a tan dry “toasted” appearance. Whatever doesn’t recover can be removed in the first of the season pruning.
(Also remember to carefully remove any heavy snow accumulations as quickly as practical. Brittle frozen stems are susceptible to stem/branch damage.)
For those interested in B. ‘Green Mountain’s’ background history, his parents are thought to be the sweet little B. sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' (female) a very dwarf compact boxwood and the larger, more manly B. sinica var. insularis (male). B. ‘Green Mountain’ clearly picked up some of the best traits of both his parents.
A few other boxwoods likely to perform well in St. Louis if properly sited are listed below with links:
Buxus semperviren 'Suffruticosa'
Buxus 'Green Velvet'
Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Winter Gem'
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment